A message of gratitude comes easy when Thanksgiving is in the air. It’s  been a busy year for me, both personally and as a content creator. You  may not know it from the scant number of podcast episodes I produced  this year. Indeed, the podcast now competes for my time with the  research I conduct for my book. Add onto that the wonderful days I get  to spend with our 7 month old grandson, now that we’re back in  Minnesota. It’s all good, so no complaints from me!

 1. The  last 8 years of strides in social understanding. In 2015-16, I remember  having to slow down and explain representation in the context of media.  Fast forward to 2022 and I tweet “let’s call it what it is and isn’t.  It’s not under-represented, it’s systemically excluded.”     

2. Pandemic-timed  tech boost. Libsyn (the podcast distribution host) and Zoom make it easier for mere mortals to produce high quality, accessible episodes.     

3. Catherine Yang is our outgoing audio genius. She contributed to Advanced TV Herstory 4 years ago, having just graduated from Northwestern University’s Radio,  TV and Film program. Catherine is off to pursue similar creative  endeavors, and leaves her prints on this podcast, in the forms of  consistently high-quality sound, eye-popping graphics for our YouTube  channel and our Witches are Back! Classic Charmed and 2018 Feminism episode, which she hosted and produced.     

4. The  never-ending questions that come to mind as I re-watch episodes and  entire series. I don’t watch as much current TV as you’d think. Instead, I chase down a rabbit hole like spending 6-hours viewing the 1994 made-for-TV movie Scarlett.  Why? I was intrigued by Esther Rolle’s appearance.     

5. You  – the community of TV Herstorians and cosmic TV buffs. Earlier this month I had lunch with Susan, Sharon and Melissa, podcasters of The 80s TV Ladies.  I love talking TV, from the obscure to popular – and spending time with these three is a match of wits and memory. Lastly, I enjoy  exchanging emails with listeners and past guests and learn something new  from each and every one.